Raid on my residence a constitutional assault: TN ex-chief secy
Chennai, Dec 28, 2016, DHNS:
Dubbing the I-T raid on his office and residence a “constitutional assault”, former Tamil Nadu chief secretary Rama Mohana Rao on Tuesday said he has been “targeted” and his life is “in danger”.
“It is a constitutional assault on the chief secretary. I have been targeted. I am in fear as my life is in danger,” Rao said. Rao’s statement came a day after he was discharged from the hospital where he was admitted for breathing difficulties soon after the raids.
Coming down heavily on the ruling AIADMK government, Rao claimed that the state did not serve his transfer order before raiding his residence and office.
“This government did not have the guts to serve the copy of my transfer order,” Rao said, adding that he was not even informed of the appointment of the new chief secretary. “Therefore, I’m still the chief secretary,” he claimed.
He asserted that the Income Tax raids did not produce anything incriminating papers and his name was not mentioned in the search warrant.
“They entered my house at gunpoint and showed me the search warrant. Despite my name was not there, they searched my house,” Rao said and released the copies of the panchanama issued by the I-T Department after the searches.
“They found only Rs 1,12,320 cash and about 50 sovereigns of gold belonging to my wife and daughter, besides, about 25 kgs worth of silver articles,” Rao claimed.
Noting that there were no secret chambers in his house as reported by some media, Rao said the I-T officials found his membership card with Madras Race Club at his office.
Rao said the search warrant was in his son Vivek Papisetty’s name and wondered how the I-T Department could have raided his properties with Central Reserve Police Force without the state government’s approval?
“What business do they have in my office room? Did they get the permission of the chief minister or home secretary? If this is the condition of the chief secretary, then what will happen to other government officials?” Rao asked.
Rao, a trusted bureaucrat of the late chief minister Jayalalithaa, said the raids would not have happened if she had been alive.
“In the absence of madam (Jayalalithaa) there is no security,” he added. Rao categorically rejected reports that his properties were raided based on incriminating documents seized from Shekhar Reddy’s premises, stressing that he did not have any links with Reddy.
“Many people meet me to give representation. That does not mean I serve them to their requirements,” Rao said.
“It is a constitutional assault on the chief secretary. I have been targeted. I am in fear as my life is in danger,” Rao said. Rao’s statement came a day after he was discharged from the hospital where he was admitted for breathing difficulties soon after the raids.
Coming down heavily on the ruling AIADMK government, Rao claimed that the state did not serve his transfer order before raiding his residence and office.
“This government did not have the guts to serve the copy of my transfer order,” Rao said, adding that he was not even informed of the appointment of the new chief secretary. “Therefore, I’m still the chief secretary,” he claimed.
He asserted that the Income Tax raids did not produce anything incriminating papers and his name was not mentioned in the search warrant.
“They entered my house at gunpoint and showed me the search warrant. Despite my name was not there, they searched my house,” Rao said and released the copies of the panchanama issued by the I-T Department after the searches.
“They found only Rs 1,12,320 cash and about 50 sovereigns of gold belonging to my wife and daughter, besides, about 25 kgs worth of silver articles,” Rao claimed.
Noting that there were no secret chambers in his house as reported by some media, Rao said the I-T officials found his membership card with Madras Race Club at his office.
Rao said the search warrant was in his son Vivek Papisetty’s name and wondered how the I-T Department could have raided his properties with Central Reserve Police Force without the state government’s approval?
“What business do they have in my office room? Did they get the permission of the chief minister or home secretary? If this is the condition of the chief secretary, then what will happen to other government officials?” Rao asked.
Rao, a trusted bureaucrat of the late chief minister Jayalalithaa, said the raids would not have happened if she had been alive.
“In the absence of madam (Jayalalithaa) there is no security,” he added. Rao categorically rejected reports that his properties were raided based on incriminating documents seized from Shekhar Reddy’s premises, stressing that he did not have any links with Reddy.
“Many people meet me to give representation. That does not mean I serve them to their requirements,” Rao said.
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